Unexpected Relationships
by Hagumi
Summary: [COMPLETED] Tea comes back from America after being transferred there for a year in the summer. The friends reunite and...love is in the air! YugixSerenity, TeaxSeto There is now a sequel up!
1. Chapter 1: Reunited

Well, anyway, here it is, folks! FINALLY ^^ , my story. Yugi/Serenity (THERE, HAPPY?), and Tea/Seto (YAY ^____^) and maybe Joey/Mai.  
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO.  
Chapter 1: Reunited  
"Ya think she's here yet?" Joey asked his friends, Yugi, Tristan, Bakura, and Mai.  
  
The five of them were at the airport, waiting for Tea. "The flight is for four o'clock, Joey. It's only three fifty." Mai said, looking up from her fashion magazine. Tristan and Bakura were looking out at the window, seeing the airplanes take off.  
  
Yugi glanced at his watch. "I can't wait to see Tea again. I wonder how much she changed." And his mind flashbacked to a little over a year ago.  
***Flashback***  
  
"Well, the thing I have to tell you guys is." Tea nervously sipped her Coke.  
  
"Get on with it!" Joey cried impatiently. Tea had called her friends, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Bakura, and Mai over for an 'important news'. Everyone, obviously Joey included, was anticipating something big.  
  
"My parents enrolled me into this student exchange program. And somebody's willing to take me for a year." Tea finally blurted out.  
  
"Wow! Really?" Bakura looked interested. Tea nodded.  
  
"Where?" Asked Yugi, expecting somewhere near. Sure it was an international program, but sometimes you ended up closer to your home than you would think.  
  
"To America. To New York City." Tea replied. "NEW YORK CITY/???? That's, like a world away!" Mai exclaimed. Tea nodded.  
  
"I don't know much about the people myself, except for their daughter is going to somewhere in Europe for a year so in exchange with the organization, they agreed to let another student stay with them." Tea said.  
"Bye you guys. I'll miss you a lot." Tea's eyes watered. Sure, she was more than excited to go to a foreign country, but still, the parting with her closest friends was difficult in both ways.  
  
Her friends stood around her, a week after she had dropped the news, in the airport.  
  
"Bye Tea!" The friends hugged her separately than did a group hug.  
  
"Flight 123 (I'm so uncreative ( ) to United States will be leaving in approximately fifteen minutes." The PA said.  
  
"Tea, you better get ready to go to your gate." Her parents said gently. Tea nodded.  
  
"You have to promise to write and call as often as you can, ok?" She reminded her friends for the thousandth time.  
  
"All right, all right." Tristan replied seeming grouchy but smiling.  
For the first couple months, the letters and phone calls were exchanged quite frequently. More letters than phone calls, due to the fact that phone calls cost more. But as Yugi and his friends started their sophomore year in the high school and Tea her new high school, their connections naturally became less intense and more relaxed.  
A week ago, Yugi was trying to figure out a difficult chemistry homework. "Aha! I got it!" He exclaimed. At the exact same time, the phone rang. "I'll get it!" He grabbed the phone, wondering who it could be.  
  
"Hello? Motou residence." Yugi said into the receiver.  
  
"Hi Yugi!" A familiar voice greeted him cheerfully on the other end. Yugi furrowed his brow slightly. He had heard that voice somewhere, but where? (it's been a while since they phoned each other) He drew a quick breath.could it be.Tea?!  
  
"Tea?" He whispered, bearing managing to say it.  
  
"It's been along time!" She cried joyously on the other end. "Anyway, I have news to tell." Yugi cringed at the last time she said those words - to say that she'd be going away from them. "Yeah?"  
  
"Yup. I'm coming back!" A golden smile lit across Yugi's face. "Wow! Really?" He exclaimed. "Yes! I'm arriving at the airport at four o'clock in the after noon next Friday." Tea announced.  
  
"We'll be waiting there!" Yugi replied, excited. His gaze fell on the calendar. School ended on Wednesday. Tea would be coming just in time for the beginning of summer vacation!  
  
***End Flashback***  
"Flight 305 (my homeroom number ^^) has just arrived."  
  
"Isn't that Tea's flight?" Bakura inquired. Yugi glanced at the sheet of paper that he'd scribbled down some notes Tea had told him about. He nodded excitedly.  
  
"Yeah, it is!" He eagerly searched in the crowd of people, mostly foreigners walking out of the gate.  
A blue eyed brunette walked out of the gate. She had shoulder length brown hair and had on jeans and a blouse. She slung her knapsack on her shoulder.  
  
"TEA!" Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura cried. Tea turned around. A big smile appeared on her face.  
  
"Hi guys!" They hugged each other. "Welcome back!" Joey welcomed her. "I'm glad to be back! Hello Mai!" She hugged Mai, who had been staying out of the group.  
  
Mai and Tea weren't really close friends, but right at the present moment, Tea was glad to see anyone, even Mai.  
  
"Hey Tea. Welcome back to Japan. I hope you had fun in America." Mai hugged Tea back.  
  
"You can come over my house to talk." Yugi offered. He knew that Tea's parents were on a business trip that they couldn't get out of, no matter how hard they tried.  
  
"Yea Tea, do that!" Joey urged her as he helped her carry her luggage.  
  
"Alright." The friends headed out of the airport, mouths never stopping.  
A/N: All right! One Chapter down, another bunch to go! How was it? I thought of the airport idea when I was at the airport in December. Yeah, that's how long I had this idea, but I kept writing and ripping my rough chapter 1 drafts. I think this is the best one. But I won't know how you think unless you r + r, right? So do it !!! 


	2. Chapter 2: Exchanging News

Thanks for reviewing in my story ( I mean those who did NICE reviews) ^^  
  
And to trabadox/Jon Wells, I'm writing this to you here since according to you, I'm in your 'block sender' list. I'm sorry if I thought your outburst was rude, but I was pretty steamed up about you always writing negative comments. If you want a Yugi/Serenity story, why don't you just write your own? That's partly why I started to write in ff.net. I read all these great stories and I wondered how I would do with some of the ideas I had and stuff. So I'm really sorry if you're mad and you probably won't read any of my stories again. And (turns to rest of the audience) sorry for the interruption. On with chapter 2~!!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: Exchanging news  
  
  
  
Tea looked around in Yugi's house. Everything was almost the same as it had been a year ago. She smiled at the familiar surroundings. This place was like a second home to her.  
  
"So tell us about America. How were the people you stayed with? How was the school? Did you make a lot of friends?" Joey, Mai and Tristan poured their questions as soon as Tea had a seat.  
  
Tea laughed at their curiosity. "Whoa, relax! I'll tell you everything. Where should I began? Hmmm, the people I stayed with. Well, you know that their daughter - their only child - was in Europe - France, I think in an exchange program. The parents were really nice to me and supportive of all the things I tried."  
  
Tea looked around at her friends, who were leaning forward, eager to hear the news. She continued.  
  
"We lived in the outskirts if New York City. You could say that they lived in a mansion. Their house was really grand. I stayed in one of the best guest rooms. I actually had a choice. And I had my own maid to tend me. Really, their daughter must be treated like some princess or something."  
  
"Wow! Really? Maybe I should go on an exchange program." Mai said dreamily. She could just imagine herself in a large, grand mansion, surrounded with maids.  
  
"Come on Mai, wake up!" Joey tapped Mai on the shoulder.  
  
Tea smiled. She could think of what Mai was imagining for herself. "On the weekends, we went to the country and they had their own horses. I rode Sparkle, their daughter's horse. I actually kind of fell off the first few times." Tea smiled, reflecting on the memories.  
  
"Cool! You rode horses? I bet you're really good now!" Tristan commented. Tea shrugged.  
  
"Not really. When I left, I was trying a couple low jump fences, but the parents were really good." She said.  
  
"What kind of school did you go to?" Bakura asked.  
  
"I went to a public school - the school their daughter -Elizabeth, her name was-went to." Tea replied.  
  
"See, in America, you get to wear uniforms only if you attend private schools, so I had the choices of what to wear every morning." She recalled.  
  
"That's great! I wish it was like that here, too." Mai said, dreamy again. Joey shook his head in mock despair.  
  
"I bet you really liked America, huh?" Yugi asked.  
  
Tea nodded. "I did like America. But, I glad to be back to you guys!" She smiled at each of her friends.  
  
"So, did Japan change a lot over the year? What's up?" Tea asked.  
  
"Well, there are a couple of new stores at the mall. Some of them have the most prettiest clothing, we have to go shopping sometime." Mai insisted.  
  
All the boys groaned. "Nothing else has changed very much. Kaibaland got renovated, that's news." Yugi said after awhile. Tea nodded.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Bye Yugi! Bye everybody!" Tea waved to everyone as they walked away from dropping her home. "Bye Tea! See you later!" They replied.  
  
Tea unpacked all her stuff, setting all her belongings where they properly belonged. Then, she took a relaxing bath. That felt good after a long flight.  
  
She was drinking some hot tea when the phone rang. "Hello? Gardner residence." Tea answered.  
  
"Hi, Tea. It's me, Joey." Tea heard Joey on the other line.  
  
"Oh hey Joey! What's up?" Tea asked curiously. She glanced at the clock. It was eleven at night. She didn't really feel like sleeping because she was still used to the New York city time, but shouldn't Joey be sleeping?  
  
"Well, first of all, is this a bad time for me to call? It is kinda late an' all." Joey sounded apologetic.  
  
"No, no. It's really not. I'm still used to the NYC time, so, it's like noon for me." Tea replied (somewhere around noon, I'm not exactly sure of the exact time difference).  
  
"Ok, then. Well, the reason I called is about my sister, Serenity. You did hear about her boyfriend's car crash and how he died?"  
  
Tea nodded, recalling the time when she received a letter about the event. "Yeah, I remember getting a letter about that from her, about a month or two after I went to America."  
  
"Yeah, well, she's still not over his death. And since you're good with helping people deal with problems and stuff, I was wondering if maybe you could help her? You don't really have to help her, just kinda talk to her. I don't seem to be doing too good in that department." Joey asked.  
  
"I know it's a huge favor to ask." he sounded hesitant.  
  
"Of course, I'll help. But you have to understand, Joey, that sometimes people never completely get over someone else's death." Tea said.  
  
"Okay, but that doesn't mean she has to mope around for the rest of her life, does it?" Joey asked, a little hint of nervousness in his voice.  
  
"No, she doesn't." Tea assured him.  
  
"Thanks, Tea. You're the best -as always!" Joey said brightly.  
  
Tea laughed. "No problem. When can I come over?" She asked.  
  
"How about around one o'clock?" Joey suggested.  
  
"All right. See you then!" Tea said.  
  
"See ya tomorrow!" Joey said.  
  
Tea sat on the couch. Serenity was still mourning? That was pretty serious. She hoped with all her heart that she wasn't as bad off as Tea thought. And she hoped that she could help Serenity.  
  
'I'll try my best.' She promised Serenity.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: How was it? My hands are aching T_T Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. This story might take awhile in going to the 'romance' part, since I'm trying out the slow relationship.  
  
Tea: I can't wait to be paired with Seto ^^  
  
Serenity: What about me?  
  
Me: You'll be with Yugi~!  
  
Serenity: Yay (hugs Yugi)  
  
Yugi: (blushes furiously) ummmm.  
  
Me: ^^ Stay tuned for the next chapter~!!! 


	3. Chapter 3: History

Chapter 3: History  
  
  
  
(groans) I'm soooooo sorry for my laziness. Please accept my apology T_T I've been really REALLY busy with studying for the midterms and SAT. (sigh) I'm too young to die~!!!  
  
Yami: Stop wailing and on with the story!!!!  
  
Me: (wipes tears) Okay, if you say so. Do the disclaimer.  
  
Yami: (mutters, I'm not your slave.) Fantasizer doesn't own YGO, although she dreams about owning it every night.  
  
Me: Only the disclaimer you idiot! Not my dream !!! (Smacks Yami on the head)  
  
Yami:   
  
  
  
  
  
Tea inspected her reflection in the mirror. She didn't have on anything fancy, just a baby blue tanktop, jean shorts, sandals, and a sapphire necklace. Tea smiled and held the sapphire up so the light shone through it. It sparkled.  
  
The jewelry was a gift from her 'parents' in NYC. They had given it to her before she left, so she wouldn't forget them. Not much chance that THAT was likely, Tea thought with a smile giggle. She glanced at the clock on her table. 12:45. Better get going~!!!  
  
She tossed her keys in her purse and exited the door.  
  
'This is exactly the time of the year I left last year.' Tea thought as she observed her surroundings. The familiar streets and stores, the trees full of leaves casting cool shades on the sidewalks, the crowded streets full of kids just out of school, the clear, cloudless blue sky, and the brilliant sun that shone sometimes mercilessly upon all.  
  
It was almost as if Domino had waited for Tea over the past year, nothing seemed to have changed. But of course things changed. All her friends were a year older and acted like that too, and there were new buildings scattered here and there.  
  
'So much can change throughout a year. I guess I never really took notice of the tiny little things when I lived here without going away for long.' Tea thought to herself as she rounded a corner and entered the street that Joey's house was located on.  
  
She walked up the porch steps and rang the doorbell. Within moments, the door opened to reveal Joey in shorts and a T-shirt. "Hey Tea! Come in." He opened the door wider so she could enter. "Hi Joey." Tea smiled at her friend and entered.  
  
She looked around. The floral wallpaper, small pots of flowers and plants lined up on the windowsill, pictures of Serenity on the walls... They were all familiar to her. "So, where's Serenity?" She turned to Joey, who had looked at her with a hint of a smile.  
  
He pointed up the stairs. "Upstairs in her room. I told her that you'd be coming for a visit." Tea nodded. "See ya later." She said and turned to walk up the stairs. If her memory was correct, Serenity's room was the first one to the right. She knocked on that door.  
  
"Come in." She heard Serenity call. She opened the door. Serenity looked up from a magazine. "Hello Tea." Serenity smiled up at Tea.  
  
"Hey Serenity."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The two had decided to go to a familiar café by the lake. Tea entered the beloved meeting place among her friends before she left. They had come here to discuss something or as a meeting over the weekends.  
  
Both girls ordered a glass of lemonade each. When the waiter jotted down their orders and went away, Tea leaned on the table.  
  
"So, what's up lately? I bet you have plenty of fun plans to spend the summer, huh?" Tea asked brightly. Serenity fiddled around with a napkin.  
  
"Well actually, my friends and I aren't really that close anymore. I don't remember the last time I hung out with them." Serenity replied quietly. Tea wrinkled her brows a little. "Why?" She questioned.  
  
The waitress brought them their drinks just then. Both girls thanked her. She nodded and walked away.  
  
Serenity took a small sip. "Well, ever since..his death, I just don't feel like hanging around for fun. What's the point?" Serenity stared out the window. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She turned to Tea and wiped it away hastily. Then she bowed her head.  
  
"I'm sorry." She whispered, voice cracking a little. Tea looked at her sadly. "It's all right." She replied.  
  
After the girls finished their drinks in silence, Tea insisted on paying the bill.  
  
When they walked out Serenity leaned on the railing that was just above the lake. "When he died, I felt the world stop. There was no need for me to go on living. I mean, what was the point? My friends tried to cheer me up. They really did, I know. They spent money and time and friendship on me. For months, on their free time, they would take me to places that would always cheer me up. But those places only reminded me of him, the memories I shared with him. Eventually, my friends got angry with the gloominess that was always with me. They yelled at me to get out of it. They still loved me as a friend, but they said what happened happened and there wasn't a thing I could do to change it. I agreed with them, but it was and is so hard to get him off my mind. Sometimes I even considered suicide." Serenity turned quiet.  
  
Tea turned towards her friend and hugged her tightly. "Oh, Serenity, no!" Her eyes filled with tears. How could her always cheerful, always bright friend experience such harsh cold feelings of lost?  
  
Serenity shook her head. "I don't feel like that anymore. I know that's not what anyone wants, even me deep inside. I know I should live life to the fullest. Even for his sake. I know that's what he would have wanted. But it's so hard. I feel so empty, so lost, so cold. I feel like nobody can lead me out of this maze now."  
  
Both girls were very quiet, Serenity remembering her earlier days of grief , and Tea thinking of the horror that filled her about her friend.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Bye Serenity. I'll talk to you more later, ok?" Tea said as she dropped her friend off. She was just about to turn around when Serenity called her name.  
  
"Tea. Thanks for helping me. You may not think you did much, but just by listening, it took a small portion of burden off my chest. Nobody listens anymore. But you did. And I wanted to say...thanks."  
  
Tea smiled. "You're welcome, Serenity. I'm glad I could help."  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Wasn't that depressing? I just read a depressing YGO fanfic. I think that rubbed off me. It's called Tears of Loneliness by BlackNightKitty. Try it~!!! 


	4. Chapter 4: Stroll in the park

Chapter 4: Stroll in the park  
  
  
  
YESSSSS!!! I'm DONE~!!! I lived through stupid mathcounts!!! ^^ Sorry I'm rejoicing my survival of the math team ^^ Well, here's the fourth chapter.hope you all like it! Oh, and by the way, I'm sorry if certain people want me to go to their hell and I'm sorry if I'm still banned from their account. (sighs) Alright here's my story. Tea, please say my disclaimer (I'm too lazy~)  
  
Tea: Fantasizer does not own YGO, because, one, she's not a genius, two, her imagination-  
  
Me: (glares at Tea) There's nothing wrong with my imagination or my brain, 'kay?  
  
Tea: (meekly) Yes ma'am.  
  
Me: (grins in satisfaction) good.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tea was writing a letter to her host parents in NYC when a cool, inviting breeze blew through her open window. "Maybe a walk with help." She said to herself. She couldn't really concentrate with the letter anyway, too many things on her mind.  
  
As she locked the door, and looked out at the sky, she couldn't help but admire the beautiful sunset. The orange, yellow, purple, and blue painted themselves in layers on the clear sky. She decided to head to the Domino park, where she had sorted out her thoughts whenever she had needed to.  
  
Without even realizing it, she realized her feet were taking her to the small lake in the park. She smiled as she recollected the memories of her friends and herself walking through this place in the summers and ice skating on the lake in the winters. 'Another memory lives here.' She thought as she sat down on a bench.  
  
However beautiful the scenery and the memories were though, her mind inched back to this afternoon.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
".I feel so empty, so lost, so cold. I feel like nobody can lead me out of this maze now."  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
Tea's mind replayed that one statement over and over again. Serenity needed a loyal, bright, cheerful, thoughtful, and outgoing person. But who was the perfect person?  
  
  
  
  
  
Although Seto Kaiba didn't have much of a social life, he - like all people - got tired of the loads of paperwork and was relieved to see the noticeably lessening of it as summer rolled in. Now he could go home around five or six instead of nine or ten.  
  
This evening, he closed his laptop in his office as the sun started to set, its rays beaming through the large windows. He decided to walk home today, since his new chauffeur for the summer was annoyingly talkative. He reminded himself to hire a new one soon.  
  
"Have a nice evening, Mr. Kaiba." His secretary said, smiling as he walked past her desk. He nodded. He pressed the buttons in the elevator that lead him to the first floor. As he pushed the glass doors, he could feel the cool evening breeze. He had picked the perfect evening to walk home in, for this one wasn't hot and unbearably humid like the past few had been.  
  
He winced slightly at his headache. 'Dammit, why didn't I take some aspirins?' He swore to himself. He really didn't feel like walking back to KaibaCorp. 'Oh well, maybe sitting somewhere might help.' He thought.  
  
Seto made a urn to enter the park and scowled to himself at the loud and obnoxious children. Ever since summer vacation had started, he couldn't seem to get any privacy anywhere outside. This was a public park, so what choice did he have?  
  
He decided to go to a bench facing the lake in the park. It was one of his favorite places and not many people came there when the sun started to set because the water became cooler.  
  
He sighed in slight annoyance as he saw a figure sitting on the bench. But like he said before, this was a public park so he sat down on the other side, as far as he could from the stranger.  
  
  
  
  
  
Tea glanced at the person who had just arrived. He looked familiar, but she couldn't really see his face, so she wasn't sure who it was.  
  
She picked up another pebble from the small pile she had made for herself when she had collected them while walking. 'Who can this perfect person be?' She thought to herself. She knew there HAD to be a person out there for Serenity. There was a person for everyone, if you looked hard enough. Somebody in the world always cared for somebody else.  
  
She slumped dejectedly on the bench. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she sat up straight. "Of course!" She whispered excitedly. Then, she stiffened. She turned to the person and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked you out like that." She apologized.  
  
'Wait a minute, isn't that.' "Kaiba?" She asked questioningly. "Tea Gardner." He addressed her coldly. 'She hasn't changed at all since I last saw her a year ago.' He thought to himself. 'Still the naïve person.'  
  
"Um, sorry about that." Tea apologized again, face flaming with embarrassment. Why did she have a brilliant idea in front of HIM of all people? She yelled at herself for not being more careful and quiet.  
  
Suddenly, someone ran in front of Seto Kaiba. He skidded to a stop. Tea recognized him as Kaiba's kid brother, Mokuba. "Hi, Seto!" Mokuba greeted his brother cheerfully. "I saw you coming here from the ballpark." Mokuba explained.  
  
"Hey there kiddo. How was your day?" Kaiba's expression changed to a warmer, relaxed position as he addressed his younger brother.  
  
"It was great." Mokuba noticed Tea on the other side of the bench. "Hi Tea!" He greeted Tea with much excitement and hugged her. "Long time no see! Welcome back!!!" Tea laughed and hugged him back. "I should go away and come back more often if you're going to give me a welcome like this every time! I'm glad to see you, too!!!"  
  
Kaiba personally found this surprising. He wondered how his little brother could actually hug and like a friend of his adversary.  
  
"How have you been?" Tea asked when they parted.  
  
That question led Mokuba rattling about all the 'super, major, most exciting things' that had happened throughout the year according to Mokuba.  
  
Usually, when Seto asked basically the same question, he found himself only half-listening, but Tea listened with all her concentration and added all the appropriate exclamations and questions. Mokuba seemed very happy that someone was actually interested in his talking.  
  
Seto's attention wandered but snapped back when he heard Mokuba asking Tea, "you know, it's getting dark. Would you like to come over and I could show you all my new games?" He saw Tea hesitate. "I'm not sure if I could do that, Mokuba." Tea replied slowly.  
  
Mokuba sighed and knew immediately that it was all because of his brother. "Seto, could Tea please come over for a little while? I promise we won't bother you. Please?" Mokuba looked at his brother, pleading.  
  
Seto sighed in despair. How could he object? He didn't want to make his brother unhappy, after all..  
  
"Fine, but for a little while only." He said firmly. Mokuba smiled widely. "Thanks!" He hugged the older sibling. A small smile flashed on Seto's face but disappeared quickly.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: The next chapter is going to be about the mansion and everything.Sorry if the ending seemed a little abrupt.  
  
Yugi: What's Tea great idea?  
  
Me: You'll find out about that in a couple chapters. Be patient!!!  
  
Serenity: It better help me.  
  
Me: Don't worry, it will. Besides, when has Tea failed to cheer you up?  
  
Serenity: (thinks) never  
  
Me: See? Tea's plan will work. I promise.  
  
Serenity: Okay~ :) Me: Please r + r!!! Thank you~!!! 


	5. Chapter 5: Incident at the Kaiba Mansion

Chapter 5: Incident at the Kaiba Mansion  
I am back people^^ And I have a couple announcements to make:  
  
Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU to ALL the nice reviewers!! I can't believe how many reviews I getting!! You guys are the absolute BEST and I hope you know that ^_^ So with your urgings, I will be continuing....but please wait for me to finish something else I have to say.  
  
Kirby X: I'm sorry that people seem to ignore you and not support Yugi/Serenity. I'm sorry Seto/Serenity fics get you uncomfortable. I'm sorry people have failed to write Yugi/Serenity fics (wait...aren't I???) But I am happy to know I'm not banned from your account ^^ (Thank you thank you thank you). And I'm sorry 4 calling u rude (I guess that's not a nice word to say....to anyone). Oh, and by the way, I never tried emailing you while I was banned, ok? I try to be an honest person-I don't cheat that way.  
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YGO. (Obviously not.But I do own my fic ^^)  
"Mokuba, you still have frosting on your nose." Tea giggled. Mokuba grinned back and wiped it off.  
  
"Ya know, Tea, I never knew there was fun in the kitchen. I thought kitchens were for a bunch of neat freaks." Mokuba said after a while.  
  
"What gave you that idea? Kitchen is the best place to be!! But I admit, I haven't had this much fun in a long time." Tea smiled.  
  
When Mokuba, Seto, and Tea had arrived in the mansion, Mokuba and led Tea to his room. Seto had locked himself in his home office and started typing away at his computer (or laptop??)  
  
Tea and Mokuba had both become hungry and decided to search the kitchen. Mokuba suggested baking something and found a box of cake mix (hold on, how long does it take to bake a cake? ^_^;)  
  
Mokuba found frosting too and after the cake a cooled, Tea helped him carefully frost it. When she cut them each a piece, Mokuba had played with his frosting and had made Tea laugh.  
  
'Mokuba is such a funny kid. I wish I had a little brother or sister like him.' Tea thought happily as she rinsed off the plates and forks.  
  
"Uh, Mokuba, it's getting late. I should go home." Tea informed him a little sadly.  
  
"Ohhhh.."Mokuba looked disappointed but then, he saw Seto coming downstairs. "Hey Seto! Where are you going?"  
  
"To my office in Kaibacorp. I left some important papers I have to finish my tonight. I'll be back soon." Seto was about to turn the handle and when Mokuba asked the question.  
  
"Do you mind dropping Tea off?" Seto froze and turned around slowly. Could he WHAT?! He felt like screaming, but of course, he wasn't like that dog Joey Wheeler.  
  
"Mokuba. I'm in a hurry." Seto said as calmly and slowly he could through gritted teeth. Mokuba looked up at him and sighed.  
  
"Tea's house is right on your way from here to Kaibacorp, Seto. Come on, you don't want her to get in any trouble at night, do you?"  
  
If truth be told, Seto really wouldn't care what kind of trouble Tea got herself into. Besides, time was passing by. 'Damn, I'm spending more time arguing in my doorway than doing my work.'  
  
"Fine, Mokuba." He snapped and finally turned the doorknob.  
  
Mokuba smiled. "Thanks! Bye Tea! See you around!!!" He waved and slammed the door. Tea was confused as to why Mokuba was acting so persistent.  
  
"Look Kaiba, you don't really have to drive me home." Tea said quietly. Anyone could see that he was pretty steamed up.  
  
"Just get in." was Kaiba's oh-so-cold, short answer as he got in on the driver's seat.  
  
Tea silently slid in on the passenger side.  
  
As she buckled her seatbelt, her gaze landed on Kaiba..just for a while. 'his eyes are so cold, but they're so blue. They're really a pretty color, when you think of it...I always loved the color dark blue, they're so captivating, like I could get lost in them forever...what in the world?!' Tea mentally slapped herself. She couldn't believe she was actually thinking about Kaiba, in any way.  
  
'I'm just tired.' She told herself as Kaiba entered her street.  
  
"Thanks." Tea said quickly as she slid out of the car. She wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.  
  
When she entered her house, she ran up her room and to her phone. She dialed Joey's number.  
  
"Hello? Dis is Joey." She could hear the sound of TV on the background. "Hey Joey, it's Tea." Tea said.  
  
"Oh, hiya Tea!" Joey said. "Wazzup?" "Well," Tea started quietly. "I've got it!"  
  
"Huh? Got what?" Joey said, confusedly. "Got the plan to cheer Serenity up again!!" Tea replied impatiently.  
  
Now Joey was paying attention closely. "Yeah? Really? What?"  
A/N: ^_^ So...how was it? I was reading over my fourth chapter, and I think I have bad grammar, sorry folks. I'll try to change...that and my spelling too ^^; Did I spend too much time on Tea and Kaiba? Or not enough?? Please R +R!!  
  
Serenity: I want to know what the plan is!!!  
  
Me: Sorry Serenity, ya gotta wait...  
  
Tea: Until next chapter~! 


	6. Chapter 6: Operation 'Happiness'

Chapter 6: Operation Happiness  
Disclaimer: Don't own YGO  
**NOTE: Yugi has grown, ok? He's like the same height as Joey or Tristan.  
  
Also, I'm really bad with names, so I didn't really name Serenity's former boyfriend. You guys can name him whatever in your minds.  
Joey glanced out the window. Five more minutes 'til Yugi arrives, he thought excitedly.  
  
He went upstairs to his room. "Hey Serenity? Could ya get the door when Yuge comes? Tell 'im I'll be right down, 'kay?"  
  
"All right, Joey." He heard his sister's muffled reply through the closed door.  
  
Exactly five minutes later, Yugi stood on the steps leading to Joey's house and rang the doorbell. He was precisely on time, as usual.  
  
Serenity opened the door. "Hello Yugi! Come on in, Joey's doing something in his room. He'll be right down, though." Held the door wider to let Yugi inside. "Ok, thanks Serenity." He smiled at her.  
  
"Would you like some lemonade? I made some today." "Uh, sure." Yugi blushed.  
  
Ever since after Serenity's eye surgery when he had first met her, Yugi had had a secret crush on her. Of course, he hadn't exactly announced it to the world like Tristan had, so only Yami and Tea really knew. He was beginning to suspect maybe Joey knew, too.  
  
"Here you go." Serenity smiled again, leaning slightly so hand the glass to Yugi, who was sitting on a chair in the kitchen.  
  
"Th-thanks." Yugi stammered.  
  
"No problem." As she straightened, something clattered to the floor. Yugi bent down to pick it up. He withdrew his breath sharply when he saw what the pieces really were. Or what they were supposed to be.  
  
There were exactly three pieces that Yugi picked up: a broken necklace chain, and two pieces of a golden locket. One side had a picture of Serenity (in her better days) laughing. The other side had a picture of a good-looking guy around her age.  
  
"Oh, um, here." Yugi handed her all the pieces. "Oh, NO!!" Serenity whispered.  
  
A tear slowly trickled down, then more followed and soon Serenity was sobbing as if her own heart had been broken... again.  
  
Serenity clutched the pieces close to her own heart. Her shoulder started to shake.  
  
Yugi tentatively patted her back and then after some hesitation, stepped closer to hug her.  
  
Serenity's eyes widened, but only ofr a moment. She buried her face on Yugi's chest and cried.  
  
After a while, Serenity stopped, although not entirely.  
  
"I'm sorry, Yugi. I got your shirt all wet." She blushed in embarrassment as she wiped the last of her tears, still sniffing.  
  
"That's ok. Here." Yugi handed her his handkerchief. "Thank you." Serentiy looked down at her feet. Now she felt uncomfortable. She had just burst into tears in front of Yugi. What would he think?  
  
"Let me get you one of Joey's shirts." Serenity said as she went down to the laundry room and grabbed a clean T-shirt from the neatly folded pile she had made earlier.  
  
"Thanks Serenity." She smiled a little in return.  
  
Both of them sat down on the couch, Serenity facing Yugi. She toyed with her broken jewelry pieces, eyes now red and puffy.  
  
"Do...do you...miss him a lot?" Yugi asked quietly. He was cautious because this might trigger another overflow of tears, but sometimes, he thought problems were best dealt with when they were talked about.  
  
Serenity looked at him sadly, but not with anger. It hurt her to talk about him, like a sore spot, but she knew Yugi had good intentions. "Yeah. It's like this locket. He and I were just pieces until we met each other. I felt like he was the right person for me...like a soulmate. Of course, e didn't really DO anything serious...if you know what I mean." Serenity blushed at the thought.  
  
"But every moment I spent with him was the brightest moments of my life. He was always helping me back up when I was down, and talking ot me and making me laugh when I was mad or frustrated. Then he died. I was a piece again, like the piece of a puzzle. I feel broken." Serenity started crying again, but stopped sooner this time.  
  
"I thought fate would bring us together. I thought destiny would keep us at our rightful places. Boy, was I wrong." Her voice had a hint of bitterness, but since Serenity was a naturally kind person, she still tried to hide the anger she felt towards the unfairness of her life.  
  
Yugi then suddenly noticed how when Serenity smiled, the warmth on her face didn't exactly reach the depth of her eyes. They always seemed to remain remote and in a way, cold.  
  
"You don't think he still wants you to grieve for him?" Yugi asked quietly. "Did you ever consider...that what you're doing ot yourself and those around you isn't something he would have wanted?" Yugi met her eye- to-eye.  
  
"I know I should stop my misery. Its been over a year now, right? I should just forget about him, right? You people think you know so much? How would you know? You don't go through pain and suffering every day. You don't have nightmares about someone you loved and what you could have done, if you were at the scene to help him! How would you know? You wouldn't! Nobody does! They think they can heal you, help you. Well, they don't! I HATE people getting into my life and telling me what to do!" Serenity started crying again.  
  
"I'm sorry." She sobbed. "I know I shouldn't take all my frustration out on you. I really want to smile again, to laugh again." She met Yugi's gaze, her face streaked with tears. "I'd give ANYTHING," she whispered. She hugged Yugi and he hugged her back.  
  
He felt the same pain that pierced her heart. That was so like Yugi, always going through the same pain and happiness as his friends, always right besides them. And even if Yugi didn't know Serenity that well, she was still his friend (and his secret crush) so he felt really bad for her.  
  
Just then, Serenity felt something. Deep in her heart, as if something had awakened after a long night's sleep. She hadn't felt like this since...she laughed, a soft and melodious sound to Yugi's ears. He looked at her in surprise.  
  
"Thank you, Yugi." Serenity leaned back on her seat contentedly. "Huh? For what?" Yugi asked confusedly.  
  
"Letting it all out, and you were listening. That helped. No one ever listened to me straight out. Or if they stayed silent, I could feel them restraining themselves, wanting to give me advice. You...you and Tea. You guys are different."  
  
She looked up into Yugi's gentle violet eyes. It was as if a strong force was bringing them together. But neither resisted. And they moved closer...closer...  
  
"Hey Yug!" Both jumped apart and the sound.  
  
"Oh! Uh, um, hi Joey!" Yugi smiled at his best friend. "Sorry I'm late, I had to take care of sumthin' . Anyway, sis? I'll be back before dark 'kay? See ya!"  
  
"Sure, bye Joey. Bye Yugi." She smiled at Yugi.  
  
Only this time, her eyes were warm and sparkling. Yugi smiled back.  
A/N: I understand what Serenity was telling Yugi might have been a little early for her age. I mean, how old is she? 14? I'm that and I haven't really found a 'soulmate' or anything, but let's just say she's one of the special kinds, okay? ^_^ Oh, and I'm having this spacing problem where my notes and the story gets kinda screwed up...I'll try to fix it, but in the meantime, please bear with me here. R+R as always!!! 


	7. Chapter 7: Just a day of hanging out

Chapter 7: Just a day of hanging out  
  
I KNOW I said I NEVER update on weekdays...well, ya know what they say, never say never!! I just felt so BAD becuz I didn't update last week...and I'm also debating with myself whether to include Tea/Seto in this fic or not. But anyways, here it is!! A brand-new chapter~!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own YGO, but if I did, there would be a WHOLE LOT of romance in it ^^;;  
  
Ding-dong!!  
  
Tea smiled. "I'm coming!" She called out, although Yugi and Joey (who were coming to pick her up for the day) probably couldn't hear her across the house. She opened the door and smiled at her two friends.  
  
"My, you guys are actually early!" Tea exclaimed. Then she started giggling at the memory of when she had to drag Yugi to school each morning because he was always late. And Joey? He never bothered to even look at the clock.  
  
"Hey, we gotta make impressions that we're more mature and responsible now, right?" Joey grinned. Tea grabbed her purse and locked and closed the door (or vice versa, whatever you do first)  
  
"Can you even spell 'responsible'?" Tea teased, playfully punching his arm lightly. "That's not nice!" Everyone burst out laughing, including Joey.  
  
"Where's Tristan?" Tea asked quizzically.  
  
"He said he'd meet us in front of the arcade, since he lives the closest there. There really was no point in him walking back and forth." Yugi explained. Tea nodded.  
  
The four friends spent their day at the arcade, the park, and other places they used to go all the time for fun.  
  
Tea knew her friends were doing this especially for her and she also knew that Joey was trying extra hard to make this day perfect because Tea had helped his sister.  
  
Last night, he had called her and thanked her most profusely, amazed at how much happier his sister seemed to be.  
  
So, Tea let herself have fun------fun she hadn't had in such a long time---- . That evening, her eyes sparkled as she gazed at the shining stars over head.  
  
"Guys, today was the ultimate perfect day, no flaws anywhere and I had the best time I've ever had in a LONG time. And I want to say thanks." Tea smiled at her friends who sat around her.  
  
Tristan grinned back at her. "You're welcome, Tea. You know you can always count on us. And did you know all this was my idea?"  
  
"What? No way!!" Joey protested. The two started fighting good- humoredly.  
  
Yugi rolled his eyes in mock despair. "Day after day, there's no change between them." He joked. Tea laughed and nodded.  
  
"Bye Yugi! Bye Tristan! See you guys later!" Tea waved as Yugi and Tristan split off away from her and Joey.  
  
"Well, see you later, Joey. Thanks again for today." Tea smiled up at Joey.  
  
"Hey it's no sweat, Tea. And thanks to you, too. Did ya know Serenity actually went out to the movies with her friends today?"  
  
Tea's eyes widened. "Really? That's great!"  
  
"An' it's probably all your doing, too." Joey grinned.  
  
Tea shook her head. "You know it's all Yugi."  
  
He shook his head and admiration. "You always were too modest, Tea." Tea laughed. "See ya!" Joey gave her a friendly hug. "Bye Joey." Tea waved.  
  
Meanwhile, Yugi was changing into his PJs when Serenity suddenly popped into his mind. 'I wonder how she's doing. It's probably too late to call her.' Yugi looked at the clock. Eleven. 'Nah, I'll check up on her tomorrow or something.' He thought as he crawled into bed.  
  
A/N: I know, I KNOW this was short and I'm sorry -_-;; Well, I was going to ask you guys at the beginning of this chapter, but I decided to put it off until the end...(drum roll) And the question is~ do you guys want Tea/Seto in this fic? I mean, I have plans on how to put Yugi/Serenity together in this fic, but I'm not really sure if you guys would like the way I'm going to put Tea/Seto together. So please tell me, should I add Tea/Seto or just kick it?? Thanks and R + R as always^_^  
  
From your devoted authoress of ff.net ^_~ 


	8. Chapter 8: At Night

Chapter 8: At Night  
  
Ok, the votes have been counted~!! 9 ppls want Tea/Seto and 1 doesn't. Sorry to the person, but it looks like Tea/Seto is gonna stay ^^ Thanks to everyone who reviewed and helped decide the outcome of the couple~ (hugs everyone) Hehehe you guys are so nice ^^ Also there was a review that say drop the Yugi/Serenity. Sorry but I can't do that because I promised someone I'd write this couple. Anyway I think this is another kinda pointless chapter, but there's gotta be some chapters that make you gradually get into the real thing...and so,, here it is~!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Bcuz if I did, Tea & Seto would be so together!! :D  
  
Tea rolled out of her bed. "That's it! I quit." She muttered as she got out of her nightwear and to jean shorts and a white tanktop. For some reason, she found that sleep wouldn't come to her.  
  
'Well, after all, I didn't really do anything in the daytime. Maybe if I'm tired enough.' Tea decided to take a little walk. It couldn't hurt, could it? (Note: This is a day after the whole friends-get-together thing.)  
  
"G' night Seto." Mokuba stuck his head in Seto's home office. He was in his blue pajamas and already looked a little sleepy.  
  
"Good night Mokuba." Seto replied, his eyes glued to the screen and his fingers flying over the keys.  
  
"Hey Seto? Uh, go take a walk or something? Sitting all day in front of the computer isn't exactly healthy." Mokuba said. "Just a little advice." He added hastily.  
  
Seto looked up. "I'm fine, Mokuba."  
  
His younger brother shrugged. "'Kay." Then he closed the door and his footsteps could be heard going to his room.  
  
After a couple of minutes, Seto decided to get another fresh mug of coffee. As he got up, he groaned. 'Maybe Mokuba is right. I should take a walk or something. I'm so sore.' Seto grabbed his trench coat and walked out.  
Tea gazed at the moon's silver reflection on the water below. She was standing on a stone bridge. The evening breeze ruffled her hair. Tea leaned her elbows on the railing and enjoyed the coolness of the night.  
  
She felt another presence. 'Who can it be?' She was a little scared. Domino was a safe place, right?  
  
She was extremely relieved to see only a lone figure. But wait, he was coming towards her...Kaiba?!  
  
Obviously he hadn't noticed her. He too, leaned on the railing, only a few feet away from her. Tea was uneasy. Should she talk to him? She didn't want to just stand there and ignore him. What if he suddenly turned and noticed her?  
  
"Kaiba? What are you doing here?" Seto jerked his head in her direction.  
  
"Oh, it's you. I'm here because I want to be here. Is that a problem?"  
  
"Sorry for asking." Tea muttered, slightly annoyed.  
  
"I didn't know you went for night walks." She said after a while.  
  
"There're a lot of things that you don't know about me, Gardner," was Seto's cool reply.  
  
'Geez, he thinks he's all that.' She turned to him to give him a piece of her mind.  
  
But was met with the sigh of a tall, slim, brown-haired, cerulean-eyed man staring out to the sky. The lights struck just the right angles, making his features stand out more. Tea's heart quickened. 'What's your problem, Tea? Okay. Just. Relax. He's only Kaiba, the genius CEO of Kaibacorp, and he's really hot. What?! Did I just say HOT?'  
  
By this time, Tea's face was flushed and she let the darkness cover her face, so her redness couldn't be seen.  
  
"So, um, nice meeting you Kaiba. Bye." Tea said hurriedly, before taking off.  
  
'I always thoguth Gardner was a little strange. Well, at least I'm alone to myself now.' Seto stared back at the water.  
  
To his annoyance, he kept thinking about how Tea seemed to look more attractive since last year. 'Quit it, Kaiba.' He growled and walked back to his mansion and resumed on working.  
  
A/N: Crappy. Short. Totally pointless. (sighs) Okay, I'm really sorry. This was probably a waste of your time...-_-;; But I promise next chapter will be better, ok? ^^ Please r+r as always!!  
  
P.S. I was wondering, if you guys would please stop by and read my other fic? It's called 'Crossed Paths' It's Yugi/OC/Yami. Well, if you don't like those, I'd understand. But please give it a chance!!  
  
Later~!!  
  
Your devoted authoress of ff.net,  
  
Fantasizer 


	9. Chapter 9: A Very Special Day

Chapter 9: A Very Special Day  
  
HELLO~!! I'm in a VERY good mood ^^ bcuz so many people are supportive of this fic. Thanks you guys (hugs everyone who reviewed this story so far) I just received an email from someone who liked this fic, too~!! Hehehehehe :) And I'll try to make chapters longer. Since I don't have any projects or anything over this weekend, I can spend some major time on my dear fics ^^;;  
  
Me: Yami! Yami? Where'd he go??  
  
Seto: He probably fled after he realized you had a crush on him.  
  
Me: Oh...that's ok. I have a crush on you too ^^  
  
Seto: O.o  
  
Me: Before you go, please do the disclaimer, please?? (puppy dog eyes)  
  
Seto: Fantasizer does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! but now I gotta go~!! (runs away)  
  
Me: Enjoy~!!  
  
Serenity finished the final touches of her make-up. 'Gee, it's been a long time since I touched theses.' She thought to herself as she applied some lip gloss. She smiled at her happy reflection on the mirror. 'Perfect!'  
  
"Hey sis! Lookin' good. Where're ya goin'?" Joey asked when Serenity walked downstairs. Joey had been sitting on the couch, watching a game of basketball. He smiled at his happy looking sister.  
  
"Yugi called me last night and asked if I wanted to go out and have some fun today. You know, watching movies and going out to dinner or something." Serenity replied in a carefree manner, but Joey could see she was excited for this event.  
  
Joey raised his eyebrows. "Really?" It almost sounded like a date, more than friends get together thing. 'Hmmmmm...'  
  
Serenity noticed this immediately. "Joey, he's just a friend trying to help me out." She said in a somewhat warning tone.  
  
"Right." Joey grinned. The doorbell rang.  
  
"Hi Yugi." Serenity greeted Yugi. "Hold on, let me just grab my purse." She grabbed her purse. "Bye Joey. I'll be back around eight or nine." Joey nodded. "Ok, have fun. Take good care of my little sis, Yug!" He half-joked. Yugi laughed. "Yeah. See ya Joey!"  
  
~*Three hours later*~  
  
So, what did you think of the movie?" Yugi asked as both he and Serenity stepped out of the movie theater.  
  
"That was the best movie I've seen in a long time. It really has a twist of comedy, action, and romance in one." Serenity admitted to ugi. He smiled. So far, she hadn't cried or even shed tears on the remembrance of her boyfriend.  
  
Yugi took Serenity to a nice, cozy Japanese restaurant with good food, price, surrounding, service etc. They decided to walk a little before Yugi dropped Serenity off.  
  
"You know Yugi, I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me. I just feel so much better since I talked to you the other day. Everything looks so full of joy and hope. I have my goals set up again for life."  
  
Serenity turned to Yugi from staring up at the sky. Her eyes were sparkling. Yugi could have burst with happiness just then and there, he was so happy for her. She really sounded like she meant it, too!  
  
"I'm so happy for you, Serenity," he said, his voice a little hoarse. Serenity smiled up at him.  
  
They started to draw nearer to each other. Yugi hugged her around the waist. Serenity's arms wrapped around his neck. Both of them felt the pulling sensation that they had experienced at Serenity's house. When their lips met, Serenity had never felt such a shock. With one kiss, Yugi seemed to wash away any last remains of sorrow and grief.  
  
As for Yugi, it was just as he had imagined, only better because this time it was real. He wanted to hold Serenity there forever, never letting go.  
  
After a LONG time, Serenity and Yugi finally broke apart, both needing air VERY badly.  
  
They started walking to Serenity's house after a while. Both were just happy being silent. No words could express their feelings at that moment anyway.  
  
They reached the porch of Serenity's house. "Good night Yugi." Serenity said, giving him a smile. Yugi loved when she gave him one of those cute smiles. They could have him blushing like crazy.  
  
"R-right. Good night. See you later." They kissed briefly and Yugi waved at her as he sauntered down her driveway.  
  
Serenity sighed contentedly. 'Yugi's so cute. He's so nice, funny, warm, loyal, smart...what else could anyone want of a guy?' She blushed. 'I can't believe we actually kissed!' She placed a finger on her lips and smiled.  
  
She opened the front door and climbed up the stairs to her room. "Hey! Had fun?" Joey asked from his room when she passed by. "It was great." Serenity replied, somewhat dreamily. She seemed to float to her room. "G'night Joey." She called.  
  
Joey furrowed his brows. It sounded like Serenity had finally kissed Yug, because this was how he had acted when he got his first kiss from Mai. He smiled a little at the memory.  
  
A couple days back, Joey had almost purposefully interrupted the growing climax between his best friend and his sister. Back then, he wasn't sure if he wanted them going out together. He sighed and lay on his bed. 'I guess it isn't fair for me to stop them. As long as Serenity's happy, I'm happy too.' He thought.  
  
A smile played on his lips. 'Tea really is some fairy or something. I owe her a big one.' Then he drifted off to sleep.  
  
A/N: Done~!! I was chatting with someone while I was typing this, so it took a little longer than what I thought it would. Oh well ^^ I hope you guys liked it. As always, R+R!!  
  
P.S. I forgot to add this in last chapter. To ister1983, I'm not offended. When I said Yugi grew, I meant like vertically, you know? I knew he was Joey's age ^^ Thanks for reviewing~!!  
  
From your devoted authoress of FF.net,  
  
Fantasizer 


	10. Chapter 10: At the ER

Chapter 10: At the ER  
Hello everybody~!! I have no school today (MUHAHAHAHA....gotta love teacher conferences!!) So I'm updating. A lot of you were asking for Seto/Tea. There's some in this chapter and next chapter's basically all about them, I think (I haven't started writing it yet) ^^ Anywayz a thank you and hug to everyone who reviewed. On with the fic~!!  
  
********************* = major scene change  
  
*~*~*~ = little scene changes  
  
sorry if that sounds too confusing...I think you'll get it as you read along.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! because if I did, Seto and Tea would be together by now ^^  
  
Tea grabbed the car keys before running out the door. One of the annoying things when you lived alone without a housekeeper or anyone, she thought as she started her car, was that you had to go grocery shopping. And since Tea didn't want to buy to much fresh goods and spoil, everything, she bought a little at a time, causing her to go more often than she wanted to.  
  
She spent the whole morning doing chores (for herself) like that. She cleaned the whole house-she didn't want her parents to think she was irresponsible just because they weren't on her case every time.  
  
"Ugh, I'm wiped out." She groaned as she finally plopped down on the couch in exhaustion. Then she perked up. 'Maybe I'll go over Yugi's or Serenity's. Joey told me they went out last night. I'll ask Yugi about how Serenity was.' Tea thought to herself as she started the car once again.  
  
She was driving past Domino Park when she saw a group of kids. One of them looked pale and panicked.  
  
'Hmmmm. I wonder what's wrong?' Tea thought curiously and got out of the car.  
  
"Hey, what's wrong?" Tea asked the pale kid. The boy looked up at her. "One of my friends broke his leg when we were rollerblading." He answered somewhat shakily. "Please, could you help us?" Tea nodded. "Why, of course! Where is he?" The boy looked extremely relieved.  
  
"Over there." He indicated where the group of kids had huddled. "Hey guys, move out of the way! There's help!" Everyone moved aside quickly. Tea gasped. "Mokuba?! Here, see if you can get up. I'll help you."  
  
Mokuba looked pale and he was grimacing. "I...don't...think I can." He gasped. Tea decided to just carry him instead.  
  
"Just hang in there. I'll get you to the hospital as soon as possible." Tea flicked out her cell phone and called the Domino hospital. "Hello? Is this the ER unit? Yes, I'm bringing a patient over there. He has a broken leg. Yes, in a couple minutes. Could you have a wheelchair read? Thank you." Tea started driving.  
  
"How are you, Mokuba?" Tea asked as she glanced quickly at him sitting in the back "I...think...I'll live." Mokuba smiled. "You know...when I first saw my leg...broken, that's what shook me up the most...not the pain at first."  
  
Tea smiled at the rearview mirror. "Don't worry Mokuba. You'll be fine really fast." She assured him. "Thanks Tea." He said. When they reached the hospital, a nurse quickly rolled him on the wheelchair to a room.  
  
Tea sat in a waiting room. 'Hold on, I'd better call Kaiba.' She thought and got up to go to a nearby payphone. She had to look up the Kaibacorp phone number first.  
  
"Kaibacorp. How may I help you?" Tea heard a secretary say. "Hello, may I speak to Mr. Seto Kaiba, please?" She asked politely. "And who may you be?" The secretary sounded suspicious. 'She probably thinks I'm a fan or something.'  
  
Tea groaned inwardly. "Well, I'm Tea Gardner. I just called to tell him that his little brother broke his leg and I'm in the emergency room." "Oh, I see. Please hold." Tea waited patiently,  
  
"Kaiba." Tea soon heard Kaiba's cold monotone voice. "Hi Kaiba. This is Tea Gardner. I'm in the ER right now because Mokuba broke his leg--" "Mokuba broke his leg?! I'll be right there." Tea was left openmouthed and a dial tone on the phone. 'Well...ok.' Tea sat on a chair.  
  
Moments later, a breathless and rather ruffled Seto entered. "How is Mokuba?" He asked a nurse. "Oh, are you his older brother? Well, so far the doctors have X-rayed him. They should be putting the cast on him about now. Otherwise, he's doing fine. But please, if you'll fill out theses paper in the meantime." The nurse handed over some papers.  
  
That was when he noticed Tea sitting on one of the chairs. He sat on a chair next to her. "Where was he?" He asked while filling out the papers. "In front of the park. He was rollerblading with a group of friends. I happened to be driving by and I noticed a group of kids. Then I found out it was Mokuba so I brought him here." Tea summed up the incident neatly.  
  
"I'm in your debt, Gardner- " "Tea. Nobody calls me Gardner. I don't feel comfortable being called that anyways." Tea interrupted. Seto nodded. "Fine. I guess you have more sense than some of your other friends like that dog." Tea could feel the heat rising to her face at the insult of Joey. But then, he actually thanked her-in his own way-so she decided to forgive him.  
  
"Hey no problem." Just then, two people came out with Mokuba on a wheelchair. "Mokuba's fine now. You might want to get him crutches, though. His right leg was broken, but it's in a cast now. Everything should be fine. I would like you to come for a check in a month." A doctor said in a confident tone. Seto nodded.  
  
"How are you, kiddo?" He asked Mokuba lightly. "I'm fine. Sorry I caused all this commotion." Mokuba apologized sheepishly. Seto smiled one of his VERY rare smiles. "As long as you're ok, I'm ok." Mokuba lightened up. "Hey could Tea come over?" Mokuba asked. Seto knew he still had work to do and he didn't exactly want to leave his brother alone. "Well...all right. If it's ok with Tea." The Kaiba brothers looked at Tea. Tea nodded and grinned. "Sure, why not?"  
  
"YESSSS!" Mokuba grinned happily and all three of them walked out.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
~Meanwhile...the same morning~  
  
Serenity woke up that morning, as they say, on the wrong side of the bed. She had had a nightmare of the times she had gone through when she first discovered that her boyfriend had been killed. She woke up with the same heart-wrenching sorrow she had woken up with so many times before.  
  
The worst thing about this time, was Serenity had not prepared herself for it. And all the sadness seemed to be compressed into this one night, and not spread out to days.  
  
She was glad that Joey was out all day today. She didn't want to disappoint him by being sad again. After crying to herself, Serenity fell asleep again on her bed. This time, she saw her boyfriend! Her heart leaped at the look of him. She felt so warm and safe and happy with him. Then she was jolted back into the harsh reality, all too soon.  
  
Try as she might, Serenity couldn't return to the safe refuge of her dreams. She decided to take some sleeping pills. Suddenly, a thought struck her mind. 'Wouldn't it be nice,' she thought, swallowing 2 pills, ' to go to sleep and never wake up again?' Her mind was too numb from the return of her sorrows to realize that meant death.  
  
Serenity almost involuntarily swallowed the whole bottle of pills. One by one. A small smile traced her lips. 'Now, I'll never be hurt of sad. Ever.'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Hey Serenity! I'm home!" Joey and Yugi entered through the front door. "Hmmmmm. Probably listenin' to music or somethin'." He muttered to Yugi. He knew his sister never slept this late. "Wanna say hi to her?" He turned, a mischievous glint in his eyes.  
  
"Um, okay." Yugi replied, going through several shades of red and sweatdropping. "Follow me." Joey said going up the stairs.  
  
"What the H*LL?!" Joey stared in disbelief at the hallway. Yugi curiously hurried to take a look. When he saw what had caused Joey to swear, his blood turned cold.  
  
For there was Serenity.  
  
Unconscious on the floor.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Yugi and Joey waited in front of the double doors. They had dialed 911 (I dunno what they dial in Japan ^^;;;) and had ridden the ambulance to the emergency room. Both boys paced with impatience.  
  
A female doctor walked out. She was looking through a clipboard. When she looked up, her face was very grim. "Are you Miss Wheeler's brothers?" She asked.  
  
"I'm her brother." Joey stepped up. "How's she doing, doctor?"  
  
"Well, we had to pump her stomach to get rid of all the pills she swallowed. She was unconscious when we did this and her condition hasn't changed much since. We think there is a greater chance of her living than dying as of now."  
  
She leaned forward. "Tell me, Mr. Wheeler," she said softly. "Is Serenity suicidal?"  
  
Joey looked shocked at the question. "I...I don't know. She was really sad over her boyfriend's death a year ago. I thought she was better. Recently she's been almost back to her normal self." He looked at Yugi for confirmation. Yugi nodded. "She seemed fine yesterday. We were out doing some fun things and she seemed all right." He added.  
  
The doctor took in all the information. "She may be depressed. You said she has been moody? And just recently, she was fine. Yes, that is a mood swing and she lost a loved one, which could have been a triggering factor. I'll recommend a counselor for her to just talk to. I don't think a medication is necessary." She looked at the anxious boys. "You may visit her if you wish, her room is 351." A small look of amusement crossed her face as she watched the boys hurriedly go to the aforementioned room.  
  
Both boys approached the girl quietly. Serenity looked so pale, yet in a way, calm and peaceful. Joey and Yugi sat on either side of her bed.  
  
"Sis, you are one heartstopper." Joey said softly, patting her hand. "You got us so worried! Geez, you're in for some trouble when you wake up!" His voice softened. "But not before you get better, 'course." He added.  
  
"Serenity, living a life's not easy, but just because there's a way blocking you doesn't mean you give up. There's always going to be people who're more than happy to help you out...like Joey, Tea, your parents, and...me. Please come back to us, Serenity." Yugi said quietly.  
  
As if in cue, Serenity's eyes began to flicker. When they fully opened, she was faced with Joey's and Yugi's overjoyed faces. "Hiya Serenity!" Joey grinned at her. "Hey there." Yugi smiled at her shyly.  
  
"Hi Joey. Hi Yugi. I'm sorry for all this trouble." Serenity apologized, regret in her eyes.  
  
Joey shook his head. "No way, sis. And from now on, we'll help you, 'k? So don't try anything like that ever again. Got it?" Serenity nodded, silent. "I'm glad you're back with us." Yugi said, relieved.  
  
After a moment, Serenity cleared her throat. "Hey guys?" Yugi and Joey looked at her. "Can I go home?" She asked smiling.  
  
"Of course!" Both boys smiled. Serenity was back! And this time, they were going to do everything to keeper her there.  
  
A/N: Looks back at chapter 10. OMG. Tell me if that wasn't long! It took me FOREVER (sadly looks at broken hands) The whole thing with Tea and Seto will happen in chapter 11. R + R as always~!!  
  
From your devoted authoress of ff.net,  
  
Fantasizer 


	11. Chapter 11: I'll be there for you

Chapter 11: If you ever need me...  
  
I was going to update this next week or something but I finished writing it yesterday!! So I decided to update today and since a lot of you guys wanted Seto/Tea...here it is! A whole chapter dedicated solely to those Seto/Tea fans of this story ^^  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, but if the guy (what's his name?) doesn't want it anymore, tell him I'll be more than happy to take it from him!! lol  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= flashback & end flashback  
  
( ) = me talking to you  
  
Tea stretched. "Don't you ever get tired of video games?" She teased. Mokuba, eyes still glued to the screen shook his head. "Nope!" He announced cheerfully. Tea had been playing games-board games, Duel Monsters, computer games, and now video games-for literally five hours straight.  
  
After another half an hour of games, Mokuba stretched too.  
  
"Hey Tea do you want to stay over for dinner?" Tea hesitated. "Please? Pretty please?" Mokuba gave her puppy dog eyes. Tea groaned. "Well, all right. You look so cute when you do that!" She grinned at Mokuba.  
  
To Tea's relief, Mokuba informed her that Seto usually had dinner in his office, if he had any at all. Today, he was exceptionally busy, so he stayed in his office. Tea and Mokuba ordered Chinese food and watched TV while eating it.  
  
It was around 10 o' clock when Tea tucked Mokuba in. He fell asleep instantly, having had so much action in one day. Tea decided to clean his room up before leaving. There were game pieces scattered everywhere. Tea began to sing softly to herself as she neatened up everything.  
  
"I'll always remember  
  
It was late afternoon  
  
It lasted forever  
  
And ended too soon  
  
You were all by yourself  
  
Staring up at a dark gray sky  
  
I was changed" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tea watched from the sidelines of the duel. The duel was between Kaiba and Yugi. They were on a ledge of Pegasus' castle. Kaiba had challenged Yugi to a duel. The winner would be able to get the 10 starchips and go into the castle (I know this was a while back, but I don't know Battle City enough to write about it).  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"In places no one would find  
  
All your feelings so deep inside  
  
It was then that I realized  
  
That forever was in your eyes  
  
The moment I saw you cry"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tea had seen the stricken look in his eyes. She didn't think anyone else had noticed. It was almost as if he was yelling at himself for not doing enough. But he acted so cool on the outside, no one would realize that he was, in fact scared. Kaiba was willing to do anything-including jumping off the ledge-to win this duel. Tea had been surprised by his feeling of caring for his younger brother.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"It was late in September  
  
And I've seen you before  
  
You were always the cold one  
  
But I was never that sure  
  
You were all by yourself  
  
Staring up at a dark gray sky  
  
I was changed"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
She had seen Kaiba around in school. All she knew about him back then was that he was a teenage CEO of Kaibacorp as the heir of his father (she doesn't know he is adopted). She also knew that he was cold-hearted and didn't have much, if any, friends. She remembered wondering as she passed by him in the classroom how anyone could be so cold.  
  
But that moment, in Duelist Kingdom, she thought with sudden realization how he would sacrifice himself to save his brother. She stared as a cold smirk crossed his face. She heard him daring Yugi to attack his BEUD.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"In places no one would find  
  
All your feelings so deep inside  
  
It was then that I realized  
  
That forever was in your eyes  
  
The moment I saw you cry"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
At that moment, Tea had learned a valuable lesson for life. Everyone, even someone that showed no feelings and was so cold and heartless as Kaiba, cared for someone. Even if it was just one person, that caring was there. Tea regretted ever thinking that there was no one in this world that Kaiba loved. Because there was.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I wanted to hold you  
  
I wanted to make it go away  
  
I wanted to know you  
  
I wanted to make your everything  
  
All right..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When Tea had cried for and with Yugi, she remembered part of her had wanted to be with Kaiba too. She felt sympathy for both duelists, she almost didn't know who to root for. When she was yelling at Kaiba, defending Yugi, she had seen the frosty look in his eyes, glaring at her. She almost couldn't bear it. She wanted to do something-to make that go away.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I'll always remember...  
  
It was late afternoon...  
  
In places no one would find..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Tea had almost cried along with Yugi when Pegasus captured Kaiba's soul in a card. She had felt a strong feeling of hate towards Pegasus. 'Why?' She had wondered as she swallowed a huge lump in her throat. 'Why did this happen to Kaiba when he didn't deserve it at all?'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"In places no one would fin  
  
All your feelings so deep inside  
  
It was then that I realized  
  
That forever was in our eyes  
  
The moment I saw you cry"  
  
Tea hummed softly as she took a final glance around the room. 'Perfect. Everything's back in order.' In fact, the room was cleaner than when she first arrived there. She opened the door and quietly closed it behind her.  
  
To come face to face with Kaiba.  
  
Tea blinked. Had she just seen a tear on the corner of his eye? No, probably not. It was gone now.  
  
Seto had gotten out of his office to check up on Mokuba. He thought Tea was gone by now, even though he knew she had stayed for dinner. Then when Seto neared Mokuba's room, he had heard her sing to herself as she cleaned up the room. Without knowing it, Seto had found his eyes watering. He blinked them away in annoyance.  
  
"I...I was going to leave. Um, good night Kaiba." Tea said softly. She looked up his eyes, those eyes that had made her shiver because their iciness, those which had been filled up with mixed emotions in her memories. Wait, had they been emotions, though? Because emotions and Kaiba definitely didn't go together.  
  
"Hey, Kaiba, are you ok?" Tea looked at him worriedly. What was the matter with him? "Anything on your mind?" Kaiba shrugged. "Nothing. Good bye, Tea." "Do you want to talk?" Tea asked softly as he was about to turn away.  
  
To her surprise, he nodded. "All right." Tea shrugged to herself. It couldn't hurt, could it? They walked into the living room and sat next to each other on a loveseat.  
  
'I wanted to hold you  
  
I wanted to make it go away  
  
I wanted to know you  
  
I wanted to make your everything, all right.....'  
  
That part of the song was in Tea's mind. 'And I still do,' Tea realized now. She hated to see anyone so cold, so heartless. Suddenly, she didn't care if this was Seto Kaiba, she didn't care if all her friends hated his guts (well maybe not Yugi). On impulse, she hugged Kaiba.  
  
Seto's eyes widened. 'What the...' His mind was spinning. He pushed Tea away, but not harshly. "I-I'm sorry." Tea apologized furiously, her face turning redder and redder. 'Damn, Tea! You had to let your feelings overcome you! That doesn't work with him, remember?'  
  
"Never mind. It's late. You better go home." Seto replied and turned to walk out of the room. "Kaiba, why are you so distant sometimes?" Tea blurted out. Seto turned around slowly. "Distant?"  
  
"I...I mean, why do you lock yourself away from other people?" Tea looked at him, "and why don't you ask for help when you need it?" She asked softly.  
  
"You don't understand. None of you do. To ask for help is equivalent to announcing weakness. I have my reputation and my pride to uphold Tea." Seto stared at Tea with narrowed eyes. He had to be careful around her. Many times in the past he had come close to actually telling her his emotions.  
  
But Tea was persistent. "No, you're wrong. Because sometimes it takes more courage to ask for help. Especially if you haven't asked for it in a long time." She stood in front of him. He could feel her innocent eyes probing at him.  
  
"And you know, there's always someone who's willing to help." Tea said even closer. Their faces were inches apart. "Tea..." All thoughts of pushing her away; of resistance flew out.  
  
She was too good to resist. He leaned over and kissed her. Tea held him closer. They stayed in that position for what seemed like blissful hours. When they broke apart Tea smiled up at him, lightening her whole face. "And I'll help you, Seto. Always when you need me." Seto stared at her. 'Really?'  
  
After a few moments, Tea kissed him on the cheek. "I think we both need a break. I'll see you around Seto." She waved and walked out the door.  
  
Seto gazed at the place where his angel had stood moment before. A tiny smile escaped his lips. 'Tea....' He thought as he went bac up to his office.  
  
A/N: okay, I have this feeling maybe some parts weren't exactly necessary. Also, I know that Seto doesn't really cry or anything and I know it wasn't late September, but that's how the song goes. Anywayz thanks for reading and please review~!! ^_^  
  
Tea: Wow there was a lot of me in that chapter ^_^  
  
Seto: Uh, I think I was a little out of character...I mean, why would I just stand there?  
  
Tea: You mean you didn't want to be with me? (looks sad)  
  
Seto: Of course I do! I'm just blaming the stupid authoress  
  
Me: :-( HEY!!  
  
Seto: Sorry, but that's a fact  
  
Tea: Now now Seto, let's not be mean  
  
Me: When will you learn to appreciate my writing?  
  
Seto: NEVER  
  
Tea: (sweatdrops) oooookay. Thanks for reading you guys!! I need to break 'em apart. R+R as always~~!! 


	12. Chapter 12: Recovery, Friends, and Love

Chapter 12: Recovery, Friends, and Love  
  
Gomen nasai! I know I've been very naughty *ducks as trash is thrown at me from the audience* but I had this HUGE writer's block -_-;; and I literally wrote like four copies of this chapter until finally I had it ^^;; ta da!! Special special special thanks to Evelyn ^_~ thanks a million for the lovely poems! And now, kick back, relax, and enjoy~!  
  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or the following poem that I will use. Why do you people torture me? T-T  
  
********(scene changes)***************  
  
"Hey Serenity, how are ya doing, sis?" Joey bent over to kiss Serenity on the cheek. Serenity looked glum. "I'm so bored, Joey. I can't believe I have to stay in this place until two more days." She sighed.  
  
Joey raised an eyebrow. "Hey, it's not like ya to complain like this."  
  
Serenity glared at her brother in mock indignation. "Well you would be grumpy too if you had to eat the hospital food!" Joey laughed. "Poor kid. Here, I was thoughtful and brought you some chocolates!"  
  
She brightened instantly. "Yay ^^!" Serenity eagerly opened the box and offered her brother a piece. "Want one?" "Thanks." Joey chose a piece and Serenity popped one in her mouth.  
  
"Chocolate is good! I'm hyper again~!" Serenity looked a lot happier. (Amazing how the power of chocolate can alter your moods, huh?)  
  
The two siblings had a fun time talking together. Then Tea and Mai came and Joey had to go back home. Mai mouthed, I'll see you later, to Joey.  
  
"Hey Serenity, how are you?" Tea sat in the now vacant seat that Joey had been sitting on before and Mai sat next to her. "I'm alright." Serenity smiled at her friends.  
  
"Great! I brought you a bunch of magazines." Mai showed Serenity a stack of carefully selected fashion magazines. "I mean, how could you survive in a boring place like this?" She regarded her surroundings with a small bit of contempt.  
  
Tea and Serenity exchanged a glance a grinned. "Thanks a lot, Mai." Serenity said sincerely.  
  
"Here," Tea handed Serenity a pink box. Serenity opened it to find a medium-sized stuffed teddy bear and (yay!) a box of white chocolates (I love that stuff ^^) along with a couple of books. "Thanks Tea." Serenity hugged the bear. "Your welcome."  
  
*******************two hours later**********************************  
  
"Well we don't want to tire you out, and I have dance in half an hour," Tea got up and hugged Serenity. "Take care of yourself, you hear?" She said a little sternly but gave her a big smile. "It was nice seeing you," she added.  
  
"Bye hun! I'll see you in a few, hm?" Mai pecked Serenity's cheek and tossed a small wave and walked out.  
  
Serenity leaned back and sighed contentedly. Always count on your friends to cheer you up when your days were boring.  
  
After dinner, she was outside in the hospital courtyard, admiring the sunset. She sat down on a bench and opened up the notebook she had carried with her outside. She flipped to a page and read  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
One day, not so long ago,  
  
I talked to you about myself.  
  
Your voice, so soft and comforting.  
  
I got up the nerve to tell you my past.  
  
Having you sit there and listen to me,  
  
Made me feel so much better.  
  
As I listened to you talk about life  
  
And question the things you didn't quite get,  
  
I realized how much I loved to listen to you.  
  
In the hospital, I closed my eyes and it was like you were there,  
  
Holding my hand and whispering in my ear.  
  
You're my best friend but you're so much more,  
  
You'll never know how much you mean to me.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
She gazed at her neatly written poem. It was a poem that she had been writing ever since she was hospitalized. When Yugi and Joey had left that day for the night, she had been sleepless and had decided to write a poem.  
  
After a moment of careful pondering, Serenity wrote down another bunch of stanzas.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
But how can I love a friend?  
  
I'll find a way to mess things up,  
  
And the one thing I don't want to do  
  
Is to mess up and lose you.  
  
I know I'm stubborn,  
  
and sometimes very hard to reason with.  
  
All I ask is that you forgive me when I act like that.  
  
You know I love you and I'll soon calm down.  
  
All I know is... I love you with all my heart  
  
And hope you feel the same.  
  
But if for some reason, you drift from me  
  
I want you to know- I will always love you.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
She loved it. Her poem showed exactly how she felt about him. She read over each word, each line, each stanza. 'Perfect.' She thought and walked back to her room.  
  
****************************The next morning****************************  
  
"Hey sis! Guess who I brought along?" Joey asked cheerfully as he entered after knocking. Serenity tilted her head to one side. "Hmmmmmmmmm? Who?" She asked curiously.  
  
"Hi Serenity. How are you?" The oh-so-formal, oh-so-polite Yugi entered the room. He gave her a hug, which made her blush furiously and she an excuse of opening the windows so her face could be hidden.  
  
"I'm so glad you guys decided to come!" Serenity exclaimed as she sat down on the bed again. "So what's up?" She asked.  
  
"Oh nothing much. Tristan would come and visit you too, but he was forced to go away yesterday evening to visit some grandmother with his parents. He won't be back for at least another week or two." Serenity grinned. "Poor Tristan."  
  
Joey suddenly remembered his date with Mai. "Oh dammit! Gotta go, sis! See ya~" a puff of cloud could be seen to mark Joey's hurried trail.  
  
"So, Serenity how's your hospital life?" Yugi asked after they had both laughed at poor Joey. She shrugged, "oh, it's alright. Tea and Mai visited me yesterday and it was really nice. And the doctors and nurses and staff are really nice here."  
  
She saw her notebook on the table. "Oh Yugi, this here's for you." She took the pink envelope that had been stuck inside and handed it to him.  
  
Yugi tore the envelope carefully and pulled out a single scented pink stationary sheet of paper. On it, in Serenity's beautiful handwriting, was the poem.  
  
"Here," Serenity reached over and took the paper from him and read aloud the poem that she had worked on.  
  
"I love you, Yugi, forever and ever." Serenity whispered. Even if she had read the poem over and over and had prepared to read it to Yugi, she couldn't help but get misty-eyed now that it had come down to the real thing.  
  
"I feel the same way with you, and I'll NEVER leave you," Yugi said, emphasizing the 'never'. He leaned over and gave her a hug, almost fiercely. Serenity pulled away just a little, so her eyes could see his.  
  
"Promise?" She asked, her expression full of trust.  
  
"Promise." And with that, Yugi kissed her.  
  
A/N: YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! DONE ^^ I hope it's not too bad or too mushy or anything. I just LOVED the poem, didn't you? Well anyway I hope you guys liked it and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! 


	13. Chapter 13: Out on a date

I thought having 4 days off of school would be enough to update this and it's Sunday already and I haven't even started it yet -_- Okies anyway thank you SO MUCH PPLS WHO HAVE REVIEWED MY LAST CHAPTER ^_^ I love u guys~! (and not in the disgusting way, u sick-minded people out there XD) Now on with the ficcy~!  
  
************** = Scene changes  
  
'Thinking'  
  
"Talking"  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!  
  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
~*Chapter 13: Out on a date *~  
  
Tea was driving home from her practice session at the dance studio, as the sun was about to set. She couldn't help but remember that a couple days ago, she had been in Mokuba's room. 'Talking (or thinking) of whom, I wonder how he's doing.' She entered her house and dialed the phone.  
  
After one ring, someone answered, "Kaiba residence."  
  
'Huh, I didn't know Seto...er, Kaiba was home,' Tea thought, a little surprised. "Hi, this is Tea."  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow. Since when did Tea Gardner call here? Oh right, Mokuba. "Mokuba is over at a friend's house," he answered her yet unasked question.  
  
Tea knew he was going to hang up any moment. But something told her to not let him do that. "Oh, really? That's cool...what about you? What are you doing?" She wondered if he was even going to answer.  
  
But he did, "nothing much, just some work." Seto stared at the screen, at the work that his secretary should be doing. 'What am I doing? I should go to my office to see if I have some real work there.' There probably wasn't, though. He had taken care of all work for at least a couple days over the past few days. And believe it or not, he was bored, which left him with a couple choices.  
  
"Do you want to go out to dinner?" He asked.  
  
Tea was a little taken aback, to say the least. 'He asked me out to dinner?' "Sure, if you're not too busy," she answered. 'What kind of answer is THAT, Tea?!'  
  
"I'll pick you up in a couple minutes," was Seto's short reply.  
  
"That's great! See you," Tea hung up. 'Cool, so maybe we DO have a chance together!' She blushed, ' WHAT chance? What am I THINKING?! Well, he did kiss me that night....but who knows? Maybe he was just...caught up in the moment.'  
  
Tea sat down on a couch and stared at nothing. 'What exactly was I expecting that night anyway?' Something about him had always had part of her mind drawn to him. Was it because she wanted to help him? Help him with exactly what though? Become friends with her friends? Why was she always so drawn to him anyway? Because of her instinct to help anyone she could? Or was it something else?  
  
Just then, the doorbell rang. Tea jumped. She had been so deep in her thoughts, she hadn't even heard the car in her driveway. She opened the door to face Seto. Her face became suddenly warm. "Hi. Let me get my purse," she called over her shoulder as she turned around to hide her face. 'What is wrong with me?'  
  
Once in the car, the two were silent. "So, what time is Mokuba coming back?" Tea asked.  
  
"Tomorrow morning. His friends are having a party for him. The parents said they would watch him, so I let him go. He was dying with boredom anyway," Seto answered.  
  
Tea smiled, "poor kid," she said sympathetically. "I sprained my ankle two years ago. I was so mad because I couldn't dance while it was healing," she recollected.  
  
The car stopped in front of beautiful building with outdoor lights. The back of it faced the ocean.  
  
An usher seated them at a table outside, facing the ocean. A pianist played calm music in the corner. Japanese-style lanterns were strung around the people, and their reflections along with the silver of the moon's could be seen in the gently swaying waves. People around them were dressed fancy, which made Tea glad that she wore her light-blue skirt and white blouse, one of her nicest outfits.  
  
"Wow, this looks really nice," Tea admired her surroundings. "And expensive," she added.  
  
Seto shrugged, "sometimes I have to attend luncheons with other CEOs here and I thought it would be a nice place to come."  
  
Tea grinned, "everything is always about work with you, isn't it?"  
  
Much to her surprise, Seto smirked, "and everything's always about dancing with you, isn't it?"  
  
Tea's eyes widened, then she laughed. "Well yeah, I guess." She grinned, "I didn't know you knew how to joke."  
  
Seto shrugged, "I don't, usually." Then a waitress came with their food and the two exchanged small talk.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"Thank you for tonight," Tea said as the two walked up to her porch and stopped, facing each other.  
  
"Your welcome...think of it as my way of thanking you because of what happened to Mokuba."  
  
Tea shook her head, "no need to thank me for that. I did what any decent person would have done....I would have done that for anyone."  
  
Seto looked at her, "I wouldn't have done something like that...so I'm not decent?"  
  
Tea looked up at him, frustration in her eyes, "you would have done so! Stop putting yourself down. G'night, Kaiba." She turned away, ready to unlock the front door.  
  
Seto reached over hesitantly and gently turned her toward him. He didn't know why, but it...hurt him to see her mad. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. (The poor guy's not used to apologizing ^^;;)  
  
"It's ok," Tea's eyes softened. "I don't know what's wrong with me today, it was a stupid reason to get mad at."  
  
She leaned forward and gave him a butterfly-light kiss. "Good-night, Seto," she whispered before they parted.  
  
_________________________________________________________________  
  
A/N: Well then, that's the end...for now ^^ Hope you guys liked it~! I can't believe I spent a WHOLE CHAPTER writing about a two couples' dinner O.o that's a little lame -_-;; Please review and tell me what you thought, though ^^;;  
  
From your devoted authoress of FF.Net,  
  
~*Fantasizer*~ 


	14. Chapter 15: Hugs, kisses, and tears

Auditions suck. Homework sucks. Tests and quizzes suck. And projects suck I'm sorry I'm in a bad mood...evil teachers XP. Oh and after some time thinking (yes I DO think sometimes ^^;), I have decided to end this fic in this chapter. Sorry for the short notice. But I have an idea about another story that I might make a sequel of this one. Enough babbling, on with the chapter~!  
  
Disclaimer: You know I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!  
  
********************************** = Scene changes ____________________________________________________________________  
  
~*Chapter 15: Hugs, kisses, and tears~*  
  
Tea woke up to a bright, sunny, cloudless day. She stretched and yawned before crawling out her bed and taking a quick shower. As she went downstairs to make herself a cup of coffee and a toast, she opened the front door and walked outside to check the mailbox. There were a bunch of new mails and without really looking at them, she placed them on the kitchen table before making breakfast.  
  
Once she sat down on a chair, Tea took a look at the pile. "I wonder if there's anything interesting in here," she said out loud as she went through each envelope.  
  
"Bills, bills, magazine, free sample stuff, coupons, letter for me, bills-" Tea stopped abruptly. Letter? For her? She quickly went back one envelope to see a fancy-looking envelope and sure enough, her name and address were written on the recipient's place. She glanced at who it was from.  
  
She could swear her heart had skipped a beat. Could it be? She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Yes. A letter to her, Tea Gardner, from the Dancing Academy of New York City! She couldn't believe it. "This is WAY too good to be true!" Tea rejoiced.  
  
But wait, what if it was bad news? With trembling fingers, Tea slit open the envelope and took out a sheet of paper. She skimmed through and read:  
  
"...The NYC Dancing Academy is pleased to inform you that you have passed our auditions to participate in our school for four years with full scholarship...."  
  
"Full scholarship?!" Tea's eyes widened. "OMIGOSH! I'M GOING TO NYC DANCING ACADEMY~!" For about five minutes, she jumped around the house in pure joy (kind of like me when I'm sugar-high ^0^).  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Mai and Serenity entered the mall together. "I wonder what Tea's 'good news' is," Mai mused as both girls went to a water fountain near the food court-the place Tea had told them to meet in.  
  
"It must be something really spectacular. Tea sounded so happy!" Serenity said happily. She was happy whenever her friends and family were happy so she couldn't help but already be glad for Tea, whatever her news was.  
  
"Well, we'll found out some enough, it looks like," Mai said as she indicated Tea walking towards them.  
  
"Hey you guys!" Tea waved, still a little ways off. "Hi Tea!" Serenity and Mai met her halfway.  
  
"So, what's your good news?" Mai asked eagerly.  
  
"I got accepted to the NYC Dancing Academy with full scholarship!" Tea announced, her eyes shining. Mai and Serenity were astounded.  
  
"Are you serious? That's great!" Both of the friends were so happy and the three exchanged hugs.  
  
"We should tell the rest of the gang," Mai said as the girls sobered up a little. "That's a good idea, let's go now! They should all be in Yugi's grandfather's game shop," Serenity said as the girls headed outside and to the mentioned place.  
  
The boys were certainly in the shop. Joey, Tristan, Bakura, and Yugi were all helping Mr. Moto unpack and arrange the newest card shipments that had just arrived that morning. Just before the girls were about the come in, the boys had stopped to take a short break.  
  
Suddenly, the three girls burst in the shop. "Hi Yugi, Tristan and Bakura~!" Tea smiled at all her friends.  
  
"Wassup?" Joey asked from his place on the floor, next to yet another box of unopened cards. He took a sip from his can of soda. Something had to be up to make all three girls look so cheerful.  
  
"I got accepted in the NYC Dancing Academy with full scholarship for four years!" Tea announced for the second time that day.  
  
"Great job, Tea! I'm so proud of you!" Bakura congratulated his friend.  
  
"That's terrific!" Tristan looked impressed.  
  
"Wow!" Was all Yugi and Joey could say.  
  
"Say, Tea. When are you going to start your classes?" Yugi asked once everyone had again exchanged hugs and congrats and all that.  
  
"All classes start at September 8th, but they want me at the dormitory at least two weeks before, so I could get familiar with all the rooms and where everything is, so I'll be leaving next week." Tea answered.  
  
There was a silence in her group. "I'm....leaving you guys again," Tea said sadly.  
  
Serenity went next to her and hugged her. "Don't be sad, Tea. We're all happy for you. It's just that you just came back and soon you'll have to leave us again. But can't you visit in the holidays?"  
  
Tea shook her head. "They don't want us to slack off even for a week so unless your family lives in the country, you can't go out of it, meaning anyone who want to see me will have to go over there."  
  
Yugi was disappointed to see Tea going so soon, but he knew it was all for the best. Besides, he had to do or say something to cheer Tea up; he hated to see anyone look sad. "Well, you know, we could all write letters, email, and call each other. And who knows? Maybe we'll somehow get the money to visit you. Or you can send us pictures," Yugi suggested.  
  
Serenity smiled at him. She decided to help in his efforts. "Yeah, and since I have a camcorder, I could record any events or just send you a tape of us. It'll work out fine, Tea," Serenity reassured.  
  
Tea's face brightened, "thanks you guys."  
  
Once everyone started talking again, Mai pulled Tea over. "Tea...what about Kaiba?"  
  
Tea's eyes opened wide. "Oh no! What do I tell him?"  
  
"That you have to go away for four years," Mai tried to put the facts in front of her as gently as possible. She knew it would be tough to tell someone you loved to you couldn't see each other for such a long interval of time.  
  
"The earlier you tell him, the earlier you get it off you mind," Mai advised before leaving Tea to think over how to tell her new boyfriend.  
  
****************************************************************  
  
On her walk to KaibaCorp, Tea remembered a week ago, when she and Kaiba had gone out on their date at the beautiful restaurant (a.k.a. last chapter) Once she reached the entrance, she couldn't go in. 'What do I say?' Tea's steps halted as she stared up at the massive building.  
  
"If you came, don't you think you should go in?" She jumped and turned around sharply.  
  
"S-seto! You scared me!" She gasped. Then she gulped. This meeting with him come way too soon for her comfort.  
  
He smirked and shrugged, "what exactly are you doing anyway, gawking at the building?"  
  
"I need to talk to you," Tea said quietly. She bit her lower lip and crossed her fingers, hoping she would say the right words.  
  
"Well then, come inside," Seto gestured before going ahead of her into the building, up the elevator and to his office on the top floor overlooking the city of Domino.  
  
"Make yourself comfortable," he said and Tea sat down on one of the couches. "Would you like something to drink?" She shook her head. She didn't think anything would settle in her stomach right now.  
  
Seto seated himself across from her. "Ok then, talk." He was curious as to what was so important for Tea to walk all the way here.  
  
After clearing her throat, Tea started, "when I was living in America, I auditioned to get into the NYC Dancing Academy. I practiced for hours but I didn't really expect to get in or anything. It was just for experience, just to see how auditions felt like and to get used to judges grading you." Tea paused. With a nod from Seto, she continued, "this morning, I received a letter from there and they said...I got in. With full scholarships for four years."  
  
Seto was going through states of shock. First, it took him a while to register the news, which was a surprise for someone as bright as him. Second, he realized that he couldn't see Tea for four years and along with that thought came a flooding of pain. Then, he realized that know matter how much it hurt, this was for the best.  
  
Tea had started crying. "I want to go, but...it'll so miserable without seeing you for four years and now I have doubts-" Seto reached over and took hold of her hand.  
  
"No, Tea," he said firmly. "Even if it's painful, you know getting accepted to the academy was your goal and dream for so long. It's unfair for me to hold you back." Tea burst into tears.  
  
"But I'll miss you so much! And four years seems so far away, too!" Seto walked over next to Tea and held her tightly.  
  
"I know," he whispered hoarsely. "It's going to be hard, but we can do it. Both of us are strong, and we'll keep in touch. We'll make it. You'll see."  
  
After more sniffling and wiping of tears, Tea managed a trembling smile. "Everyone's so supportive of my going. Thank you."  
  
Seto smiled back. "How long do you have until you have to go?" He asked.  
  
"A week," Tea answered. That didn't seem like enough time to spend with her friends.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Her friends had known that too. That's why they spent every possible minute with her for one whole week. They even invited Seto to join them and he agreed. The friends went to beaches, parks, amusement parks, movies, arcades, and basically anywhere to spend to have fun. Tea was truly grateful to have such caring friends and made sure to take tons of pictures to preserve the memory.  
  
But when you're having a good time, it tends to fly by, and soon the week was coming to an end.  
  
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"There. That should take care of everything, I think. Can you think of anything we missed?" Mrs. Gardner asked her daughter as she checked off her mental list of things that she had packed into Tea's suitcases.  
  
"No, I don't think so." Tea sighed as she sat on her bed. "Thanks for helping me pack, mom." Tea thanked her mom. Her parents had arrived two days ago and were so pleased that their only daughter had finally succeeded in achieving her life-long dream.  
  
"I'm just so happy that your dream is coming true." Her mother smiled, her face full of pride. Tea hugged her mom.  
  
"Me too, even if it's going to hard at first, because I'll miss all of you here," Tea said.  
  
"You know that if you need someone to talk to, your dad and I will always be here for you, as well as your friends." Mrs. Gardner assured her daughter.  
  
"Yeah, I know. I'm so lucky to have all of you," Tea replied.  
  
"Well, good-night Tea. Get some rest for tomorrow-it's going to be a big day," her mother gave her a kiss on the cheek and went out of the room.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"Ok, so I have fifteen more minutes before I can get in the plane," Tea checked her watch, then turned to her friends.  
  
"Write to us as soon as you get there, ok?" Serenity asked as she hugged Tea.  
  
"You know I will, Serenity. And you better write back." Tea smiled at her friend.  
  
"We'll miss ya, Tea." Joey said as he gave her a hug. Tea hugged everyone in her group.  
  
"And this is from all of us to you," Yugi said as he handed Tea a small box with a pink bow.  
  
Tea opened it and found a silver charm bracelet with tiny ballet slippers. "Thanks you guys! Oh, it's so pretty," Tea breathed out in amazement as she carefully slipped it on.  
  
"You can always remember us that way," Tristan grinned. Tea nodded happily.  
  
She went over to Seto, who had basically stayed quiet. Suddenly, she felt awkward around him. Then, she threw her arms around him. "I'll miss you...a lot," she whispered. Seto pulled away so he could see her face.  
  
"Me too," he said. Then he dug on a black velvet box from his pocket. "This is for you," he said as he opened the box to reveal a diamond heart necklace. Tea gasped, "it's beautiful, Seto." He put it on her neck and kissed her lightly.  
  
"Promise me you'll come back." He said. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.  
  
"I promise. I'll come back to you in four years. Keep in touch, ok?" Tea sniffled and hugged him one last time.  
  
"Those boarding the plane to the U.S., please stand at the gate now, thank you." The announcement could be heard.  
  
"Bye, everyone. I'll miss you," Tea waved a final wave before turning toward the plane that would take her halfway across the world.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
Once on the plane, Tea watched Domino city get smaller and smaller as she flew up higher and higher. To distract herself, she put took out her CD player and put on her headphones.  
  
Baby I will soon be leaving  
  
and I know that you are feeling down  
  
But every week I'll send a letter  
  
To let you know my love will never change  
  
I promise you I always feel the same  
  
So remember in your heart  
  
Baby when we are apart  
  
There's no need for crying  
  
Cuz even if I am  
  
Halfway around the world  
  
That won't stop me from loving you  
  
Halfway around the world  
  
Still be feeling the way I do  
  
Now I wanna hold you baby  
  
Cuz I'm gonna miss you like crazy  
  
Even if I'm halfway around the world  
  
Baby when the miles are growing  
  
You and I will still be growing strong  
  
No matter what your friends are saying  
  
Don't give up on what you're waiting for  
  
Cuz one day I'll be knocking on your door  
  
So remember in your heart  
  
Baby when we are apart  
  
There's no need for crying  
  
Cuz even if I am  
  
Halfway around the world  
  
That won't stop me from loving you  
  
Halfway around the world  
  
Still be feeling the way I do  
  
Now I wanna hold you baby  
  
Cuz I'm gonna miss you like crazy  
  
Even if I'm halfway around the world  
  
If I could you know that I would find a way  
  
To stay for good but I must go now  
  
I wanna hold you baby  
  
I'm gonna miss you like crazy even if I'm...  
  
A/N: Okies, that's all, folks. Thanks so much for reading this far ^^ I'm really honored to have captured your attention for so long =^^= Look out for more stories by me! Hehehehe... anywayz please review one last time to this story. Have a nice day and thanks for reading~!  
  
From your devoted authoress of FF.Net,  
  
Fantasizer 


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